Library Newsletter
Friday, December 12
So many books, so little time...
Thank you for taking time to read the newsletter, hope you all have a safe and restful weekend!
Preschool: This week we viewed the Muppet version of Mr. Willowby's Christmas tree. The kids really seemed to enjoy themselves and it was fun to have them here doing something a little different. I had a selection of Christmas books out for the children to choose from and of course they have the option to choose from the shelves. It has been so much fun getting to know the preschoolers this year and it is always a joy when they visit the library.
Kindergarten: I was home with my son who was sick on Monday when the Kindergarten classes visit so I really missed seeing them this week! They read Mr. Willowby's Christmas Tree, by Robert Barry. This is one of my favorite Christmas books to share with the students and they really seem to enjoy watching the tree top get smaller and smaller as it travels around from Mr. Willowby's house through the nearby area and back.
First Grade: This week we visited the computer lab and the children were able to play on ABCya! If you haven't checked out this website yet, you will be amazed at all the activities that are available for the kids to do. We are learning to access this site through the school website and practicing skills such as using the back button when using a website, how to scroll up and down on a page, and how to close a program once you are done. The kids are doing a great job and it is so exciting to meet with them and watch their knowledge grow!
Second Grade: The second graders and I enjoyed a silly book titled When the Cows Come Home by Dori Chapman. In this book there is a family of cows that gather together for the holidays and when they do one cow gets stuck in the floor right where the Christmas tree normally goes. The family works and works to free the stuck cow but cannot get her budge. The solution becomes clear, they are going to have to decorate her instead! The kids laughed and enjoyed this story of spending time with loved ones near the holidays.
Third Grade: Third graders read How the Grinch Stole Christmas by Dr. Seuss. As always I enjoyed reading this classic tale with children but really found it fun to read it to this grade level this year. The kids and I were able to have a nice conversation after reading the book and they were very thoughtful in their responses. They understood that the lesson the Grinch learned was that people and spending time with each other are what make the holiday season so special, not the gifts we open under the tree.
Students also created ornaments for the library that look like small book covers. It was so much fun to see which books they chose and to see their creative sides shine.
Fourth Grade: We continued reading the novels we are reading in fourth grade. These are books chosen from the Iowa Children's Choice Award book list for this school year and the students will be able to vote on their favorite book from this list in March.
Library News:
The library does now have books on cd's that the students can check out during library time. If you have noticed those coming home please enjoy those with your child and help them to keep the disc in a safe spot when not in use. So far everyone has done a great job of returning those in great shape!
Don't forget to visit We Give Books website and read a book with your child or have your child read a book from the selection. For every one book you read two actual books are donated to a child in need! The kids that have done this in class have had a blast and one class donated 78 books in less than a half hour.
As always let me know if you have any questions or concerns, and have a great weekend!
Jenny Brenner